The Impact of Inflammation: Relationships Between Telomere Length, Insulin Sensitivity, and Antidepressant Response to Pioglitazone

Strong associations between insulin resistance and depression have led to recent studies of the antidepressant effects of several antidiabetic medications, including metformin and pioglitazone, a thiazolidinedione class antihyperglycemic agent (a PPAR-ɣ agonist). Another research avenue has involved telomeres, which shorten with age. Shorter telomeres in leukocytes have been associated with increased incidence of age-related cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and, less consistently, depression and chronic mood and anxiety disorders. Now, researchers (one with interests in a telomere testing company) have examined the relationships among telomere length, antidepressant effects of pioglitazone, and insulin markers in both insulin-resis…